Silver Hill

by Catherine Cooper

  ‘Use your key Jack, it is a keyhole, I’ve been right through, it is a dwindling door. There’s a big cave on the other side.’

  Jack took off his chain and pointed the tiny key towards the even tinier hole. It made his fingers tingle as it shrank down to the size of a small pin. As he turned it in the lock two little bats flew excitedly around his head.

  ‘Look Jack! Look at the doors!’ cried Timmery.

  Jack stepped back and watched in amazement as an arched doorway began to form. It was almost identical to the gateway on Glasruhen Hill. The rock rippled and faded as carved wooden doors appeared. Once they were solid they parted in the middle and slowly opened. The cave looked dark and empty. It felt cold inside. Jack shone his wand towards the darkest end. Carved ledges and niches came into view and there, in each hollow lay the still body of an ancient Druid.

  ‘We’ve done it,’ said Jack excitedly. ‘We’ve opened the fifth gateway. We’re inside the Caves of Eternal Rest.’

  ‘Are they dead?’ whispered Motley.

  ‘I hope not,’ said Jack, ‘but it’s cold in here.’

  As they walked through the cave Jack shivered. The only sound he could hear was their footsteps on the cavern floor. Timmery and the Dorysk flew around the huge cave and soon disappeared into the darkness. Jack was beginning to lose heart when Timmery began squeaking noisily.

  ‘Hurry Jack, come and see.’

  Jack’s heart leapt as he ran towards Timmery’s voice. At the far end of the cave, between two columns was a smaller cave. Light streamed onto the floor through a great sheet of ice that covered the entrance. Beside it was an empty space where they’d seen the diamond key before.

  ‘Look!’ cried Jack. ‘Timmery was right, this is the key.’

  A movement on the other side of the ice sheet caught Jack’s attention. He ran over quickly. Nora, Gwillam and Elan were making their way back down the path. He banged on the ice and shouted but he couldn’t make them hear.

  ‘Turn around,’ Jack shouted and concentrated hard on the three figures.

  Nora suddenly stopped and turned. Jack smiled when he saw how surprised she looked. He held up the huge diamond for them to see.

  ‘Look what we found,’ he called as loudly as he could.

  ‘Thank you,’ said a voice from behind him, as Jack’s wand and the diamond were both ripped from his hands. ‘I’ll take charge of these.’

  Jack spun around.

  ‘Velindur!’ he cried.

  CRYSTAL MAGIC

  Time seemed to stand still as Jack’s joy turned to dread. He knew he was powerless and at Velindur’s mercy, there was nowhere to run. Velindur laughed. The hairs on the back of Jack’s neck stood on end as the mocking voice echoed around the cavern.

  ‘Once more we meet,’ snarled Velindur. ‘A raven and a useless boy.’

  Jack looked around desperately. The cave was cold and lifeless. Velindur made a sweeping gesture with his arm.

  ‘There’s no help here. If these Druids aren’t dead already, they soon will be.’

  ‘Camelin, do your spell,’ yelled Jack.

  ‘I don’t think your friend can hear you.’

  Jack’s heart sank as Velindur produced Camelin’s wand and tossed it away.

  ‘He’s not going to be much help now,’ he sneered as he nodded towards the rock face.

  Jack peered into the darkness. Camelin’s body lay slumped on the floor. Jack summoned up all his courage and took two steps in Camelin’s direction. Velindur started chuckling to himself.

  ‘I told them I’d be back. They underestimated me. I’ll make them sorry they turned me out of Annwn.’

  Jack took two more steps towards Camelin but stopped abruptly as a loud squeaking came from the doorway. Motley and Raggs charged towards Velindur’s legs as Timmery and the Dorysk attacked his head.

  ‘No!’ shouted Jack as Velindur kicked out at the rats and swiped the two little bats with the back of his hand. ‘No!’ Jack sobbed again as he watched his friends fall.

  Velindur brushed past Jack and stood before the ice sheet. He sneered and laughed loudly as he held up the diamond key so that everyone on the other side could see it. Jack’s heart sank.

  ‘Now I’ll have my revenge,’ he bellowed before hurling the diamond, with all his might, against the rock. It shattered into thousands of fragments. Jack ducked as the shards rained down on them. He wanted to cry when he saw the damage Velindur had done. The diamond key was broken beyond repair.

  Velindur held his arms out wide.

  ‘Vengeance is mine,’ he yelled as he lunged at Jack. ‘None of you will leave here alive.’

  Jack leapt aside, ducked under his arm and ran over to Camelin.

  ‘Wake up,’ he shouted as he shook Camelin’s limp body.

  Camelin didn’t stir. Velindur’s evil laugh sent a shudder down Jack’s spine. He stood and turned slowly to face him. Concern for Camelin and his friends replaced Jack’s fear. He could see Nora, Gwillam and Elan on the other side of the ice sheet. From the looks on their faces Jack knew they were powerless to help. He instinctively clutched his golden acorn and wished with all his heart that Velindur would disappear.

  A sudden gust of wind pushed Jack from behind. He staggered as a more powerful shock wave knocked him over and sent him tumbling towards the wall. An invisible force pinned him there. He watched in fascination as Velindur was swept off his feet and began to rise slowly into the air.

  ‘NO! STOP!’ Velindur screamed as he began to spin round.

  Jack held his breath as Velindur whirled faster and faster until his body became a blur.

  ‘What’s happening?’ Camelin called to Jack, as he stirred. ‘What did you do?’

  ‘I don’t know. I don’t know if it was me. I wished he wasn’t here and the whirlwind came. Maybe it was Nora or Elan. Are you alright?’

  Jack didn’t hear Camelin’s reply as the noise from the spiralling whirlwind got louder and louder until it filled the whole chamber. Velindur’s screams made Jack shudder. He tried to cover his ears but he was unable to move. Then there was a great cloud of smoke as the spinning column unexpectedly evaporated. Jack’s body suddenly went limp. He slid down the wall and landed on top of Camelin. When he looked up Velindur was gone and Jack’s wand lay on the floor next to Camelin’s.

  ‘Where did he go?’ Jack asked.

  ‘I don’t know and I don’t care, he stole my wand, Now can you get off me?’

  ‘He took mine too, but he didn’t take them with him, they’re over there, on the floor.’

  Jack carefully tried to avoid stepping on any of the crystal shards as he went over to pick up the wands.

  ‘What’s all that on the floor?’ asked Camelin.

  ‘It’s the diamond key. Velindur destroyed it before he disappeared. We’ve failed. The Druid’s will never be woken now.’

  Jack heard a low whimpering sound.

  ‘What’s that?’

  They turned to where it was coming from and then Jack ran over to Raggs, who lay hunched on the floor.

  ‘What’s wrong?’ said Jack.

  Jack knelt down and supported Raggs’ head. Timmery and the Dorysk fluttered overhead and Raggs moaned loudly as Motley scampered to his side, followed by Camelin.

  ‘Done for I am, done for, at the end of my days. I’ve been run through.’

  Jack could see a pool of blood underneath Raggs.

  ‘Stand back,’ said Motley. ‘Let me look.’

  Jack moved back.

  ‘We’ve got to do something.’

  Raggs moaned as Motley searched his fur.

  ‘Nothing broken, you’ve got a shard from that crystal in your backside, once we get it out you’ll mend. Come and help me Jack.’

  Raggs moaned again. He was obviously in pain. Jack looked at the entrance to the cave. He could see Nora, Elan and Gwillam’s faces pressed against the ice sheet as they tried to see what was going on.

  ‘Somnus,’ Jack said as he pointed his wand at
Raggs.

  The spell worked immediately, the old ship’s rat slumped heavily and fell fast asleep. Motley and Jack carefully pulled the shard from the top of his leg. Jack held it up to the light. He was about to throw it aside when there was a tinkling sound. The other shards began to rise from the ground. The sliver Jack held was whipped out of his hand and joined the rest as they rose into the air. They spun round and round until every shard was airborne. Jack watched in amazement as the pieces formed themselves into a spinning sphere, getting smaller and smaller until a great flash of light filled the cavern. When Jack could see again, the crystal key was whole and lay on the ground.

  ‘Was that you?’ asked Camelin.

  ‘No, I didn’t do anything, it happened on its own. I’ve no idea what’s going on.’

  ‘But I have,’ said a voice from the shadows.

  Jack braced himself, expecting Velindur to step towards him. He reached for the crystal key and shielded it against his chest before turning to point his wand towards the voice.

  ‘That won’t be necessary.’

  Jack didn’t recognize the old man who stepped out into the light.

  ‘Let me introduce myself. My name is Mortarn, Gatekeeper of the Caves of Eternal Rest and Guardian of the Crystal Key.’

  The old man bowed low and then held out his hand to Jack.

  ‘If you’d be so kind, I can now put this back in its rightful place and let the others in.’

  ‘I thought you were all asleep and couldn’t be wakened,’ said Jack.

  ‘The others sleep on. My awakening is due to the return of the crystal key. I would have helped you sooner if I’d been able to. I felt the crystal’s presence as soon as you came through the fifth gateway but it took time for my strength to return.’

  Jack handed Mortarn the diamond-shaped crystal and watched as he went over to the entrance. He placed it carefully into the empty socket and turned it slowly three times then held his hands above it and began chanting. When Mortarn stopped he bowed to Jack.

  ‘It won’t be long now, the entrance will open shortly.’

  They all watched as the ice rapidly thawed. Nora, Elan and Gwillam ran into the cave.

  ‘We were so worried,’ said Nora. ‘What happened?’

  ‘We found the crystal key in Velindur’s room and came in through the fifth gate,’ explained Jack.

  ‘It’s a Druid’s dwindling door,’ said the Dorysk, ‘but Jack’s key opened it.’

  ‘The same key?’ asked Nora. ‘The magic key?’

  Jack nodded.

  ‘What happened to Velindur,’ Elan asked.

  ‘I don’t know,’ replied Jack. ‘I held my acorn and wished he’d disappear, and he did.’

  Mortarn walked over to Jack and placed his hands on his shoulders.

  ‘I think you’ll find crystal magic was responsible for Velindur’s disappearance. It’s the most powerful magic of all. It has a life of its own and can’t be controlled by anyone. I’ve spent my life in these caves as their Guardian and I still don’t understand how it works. It chooses its own path. The crystals have always given rest and refuge to any who came to the caves. Now the crystals are gone, I fear those who have chosen to rest here will never awaken. It is I, not you, who has failed.’

  Mortarn sat on a ledge and put his head in his hands.

  ‘It wasn’t your fault,’ said Elan. ‘Velindur must somehow have found out about the gateway.’

  ‘He’s had a Bogie and Spriggans stealing the crystals,’ said Jack. ‘I don’t think they even know they’ve been into Annwn.’

  ‘They’d never have taken them if they did,’ agreed Nora. ‘I suspect Velindur convinced them they were free for the taking.’

  ‘What are we going to do now?’ Mortarn asked Gwillam.

  ‘Don’t worry, all is not lost.’

  The sound of beating wings made everyone turn and look at the cave’s entrance. Three dragonettes flew into the cave, each grasping a bulging sack which they carefully lowered at Mortarn’s feet.

  ‘Look inside old friend,’ said Gwillam.

  Mortarn opened one of the sacks. A ray of warm light burst from within.

  ‘The crystals! But how?’ he cried.

  ‘It’s a long story but thanks to an old legend about a place called Howling Hill, some lost dragonettes and some very brave deeds, the crystals have been saved,’ replied Nora.

  ‘I think it’s time we got them back to where they belong, don’t you?’ said Gwillam.

  Nora opened the other two sacks and stood back.

  ‘Can we help?’ asked Jack.

  Gwillam laughed.

  ‘No, but thank you for asking, this won’t take long, stand back everyone.’

  He pointed his staff at the sacks. A shaft of white light illuminated the cave. The crystals rose and hovered in mid-air before dispersing themselves over the walls. Soon the whole cave was transformed. Every inch glowed with a warm light.

  ‘Magnificent,’ said Motley as he looked around.

  ‘Truly amazing,’ added the Dorysk as he flitted around the cave.

  ‘I think it’s time we left Mortarn to sort things out here,’ said Nora.

  ‘Shall we go back to the palace?’ asked Elan.

  ‘Palace!’ said Raggs sleepily. ‘Where am I?’

  ‘Raggs!’ cried Jack and ran over to the little rat. ‘Are you alright?’

  ‘My leg hurts.’

  Nora went over and examined him.

  ‘I need to put something on this leg of yours to stop the pain and help it heal.’

  She gently lifted Raggs and cradled him in her arms.

  While everyone made a fuss of Raggs Jack went over to Mortarn.

  ‘What do you think the crystal magic did to Velindur?’

  ‘Crystal magic never destroys it only ever protects or gives life.’

  ‘You mean Velindur isn’t dead?’ croaked Camelin as he waddled over from the doorway to join Jack.

  ‘Oh no, he won’t be dead but the magic could have taken him anywhere.’

  This wasn’t the news Jack wanted to hear. He’d thought Velindur had been destroyed. He hoped the crystal magic had transported him a long way away. He didn’t ever want to see him again.

  ‘Time to go,’ said Elan turning to Camelin and the dragonettes. ‘Fly on ahead and let everyone know we’re on our way.’

  ‘I’ll come too,’ piped Timmery.

  As soon as he crossed the entrance he changed into a beautiful hummingbird.

  ‘Wait for me,’ said the Dorysk as he transformed into a hummingbird too, identical to Timmery except for the glasses.

  Elan bent down and let Motley scamper up her arm. He sat proudly on her shoulder as they said their goodbyes to Mortarn. As Nora passed Jack she held out her hand and said, ‘I think I’ll take charge of Camelin’s wand for now.’

  Jack handed her the wand. He watched as she and Gwillam set off for the palace. As Elan joined him at the entrance, Jack turned and took one last look at the cave. They waved to Mortarn before following Nora and Gwillam down the path.

  ‘Ember wasn’t able to melt the ice then?’ he asked.

  ‘No, she tried her best but as you’ve seen, crystal magic is very powerful.’

  Jack yawned.

  ‘It’s been quite a night, I’m glad I don’t have to get up for school in the morning.’

  ‘We’ll celebrate before you return.’

  ‘You mean you’re not coming with us?’

  ‘I’ll be back soon, really soon, I promise. Winver and Hesta will be pleased to see you both.’

  Jack didn’t answer. At least he was a boy this time. With any luck they’d be more interested in Camelin.

  ‘Do you think Nora will be cross with me for giving Camelin his wand back? Only, without his help we wouldn’t have rescued Raggs or found the crystal key.’

  ‘I’m sure she’ll be fine once you’ve explained. From what I hear Camelin’s only learnt one spell.’

  ‘He has, but it c
ame in very useful tonight.’

  Jack could see the tips of the four glass turrets coming into view as they wound their way down the mountain.

  ‘Is the glass palace crystal magic too?’

  ‘I don’t know,’ replied Elan. ‘It might be made from the same crystals. I don’t ever remember a time when it wasn’t there. You can look it up in the palace library. Everything that’s ever been written about Annwn is in there.’

  ‘Maybe another time, I’m a bit tired now.’

  ‘Nearly there, after you’ve rested we’ll celebrate.’

  Jack smiled. He hadn’t anticipated being back in Annwn so soon.

  When they reached the Druid’s village Gwillam was waiting for them. He was leaning on his staff, by the open door of his house.

  ‘You look tired out Jack, why don’t you sleep here for a while, I’ll wake you when it’s time to go.’

  Jack looked at Elan.

  ‘It’s alright, I’ll see you later. I’ll tell Nora where you are.’

  As Gwillam stood aside Jack entered the house and crossed the circular kitchen to the room he’d shared with Camelin when they’d stayed here before. As he opened the door he heard snoring. There on the straw pallet, lay Camelin, with his feet in the air. He didn’t wake as Jack flopped down beside him. As soon as his head hit the pillow he fell fast asleep.

  Jack heard someone calling. He struggled to open his eyes and was just drifting back to sleep when the door opened: ‘Wake up sleepy head. Everyone’s waiting for us at the clearing.’

  Jack squinted at Gwillam as sunlight streamed in through the window.

  ‘Where’s Camelin?’

  ‘Winver and Hesta came for him. Nora wanted to see him, something about his wand I think.’

  ‘That was my fault, I ought to go and explain.’

  ‘Not until you’ve had a wash and made yourself look respectable.’

  ‘How’s Raggs?’

  ‘Nora’s dressed his wound, he’ll be fine but she thinks he might have a limp for the rest of his life. He didn’t seem too pleased when she said he ought to retire from the Night Guard, and Motley made it worse when he asked if the Dorysk could join them. Nora’s asked Raggs to take on sole responsibility for guarding the herborium, she said he could have a hammock in there with a feather mattress if he liked. I’m sure he’ll enjoy not having to patrol the forests and he certainly seemed to like the feather bed he slept in last night. Now come on, get a move on.’